1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to guide rail spacers for use with guide rail assemblies used in assembly line and conveyor belt systems and, in particular, to an improved means for providing variable adjustment and positioning of a guide rail.
2. Description of the Related Art
Guide rails are used to direct the travel of articles along a predetermined path of an assembly line or conveyor system. The articles are conveyed in a belt or track during the processing and packaging procedures of a typical manufacturer. Dependable support and adjustment of the guide rails is important to ensure manufacturing efficiency and to prevent the articles from tipping over or falling off the conveyor system.
Typically, whenever a different article travels through the conveyor system, the guide rails must be adjusted to accommodate the specifications of that article. This entails adjusting the guide rails to certain vertical and horizontal distances from the conveyor system. Although previous guide rail support posts allowed for this adjustment procedure, they did not allow this procedure to be readily repeatable. That is, each time a different article was conveyed, the vertical and horizontal distance calibrations had to be performed anew. Depending on the complexity of the adjustments, this procedure could require significant amounts of time and cause unnecessary manufacturing downtime. This nonrepeatability problem has been addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,911 issued to Ledingham. This patent discloses a railing support post that can be adjusted with respect to the guide rail which it supports.
A spacer is typically used to adjust among predetermined fixed positions with respect to the guide rail which it supports. However, prior art spacer designs have significant shortcomings. For example, although the prior art spacer designs disclose a two-position spacer, the spacer dangles freely from a lanyard proximal the guide rails, when neither position is used. Although this arrangement allows the spacer to be readily available for use, it can nevertheless inadvertently become tangled with or otherwise interfere with conveyor line operations.
A need therefore exists for a guide rail spacer that can be adjusted among a plurality of predetermined fixed positions with respect to a guide rail supported by a guide rail support post. A need also exists for a spacer that can be secured when not in use such that it does not interfere with conveyor line operations while remaining readily available for use.
In accordance with the present invention, a guide rail spacer is provided that can be adjusted among a plurality of predetermined fixed positions with respect to the guide rail which it supports. The spacer can also be secured when not in use such that it does not interfere with conveyor line operations while remaining readily available for use.
A further advantage of the present invention is that multi-functioning spacers may be mounted along a portion of the guide rail support to provide adjustment of a guide rail among predetermined fixed positions. Individual spacers maintain a plurality of mounting positions which allow one spacer to function as the equivalent of several spacers. The spacer is also constructed so that it does not interfere with conveyor line operations when not is use, but remains readily available for use. The spacer may also include a handle section for easy insertion and removal.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the spacer has a body defining a plurality of channels with the plurality of channels including a first channel interposed between a second channel and a third channel. The first channel and second channels sized and configured to accept the tube, and the third channel sized and configured to accept the housing element.
Further aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows.